Rail-bond.



No. 831,776. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906. F, H. DANIELS.

RAIL BOND. APPLICATION FILED JUNE s, 1903.

a KZW snares OFFICE.

RAlL-B OND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application filed June 8, 1903. Serial No. 160,498.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED H. DANIELS, a citizen of the United Stat-es,residing at Worcester, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Bonds; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable t ers skilled in the art towhichit appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to that type ofrailbonds or similar electricalconductors where in the process of manufacture the terminals are made searate from the connectingstrands and t e strands are welded to the headsof the terminals by pressure, so as to unite the parts integrally intoone homogeneous structure. In this type of bonds or conductors it isespecially strands connecting the terminals should be entirely inclosedwithin the head, instead of merely seated'n an open-topped groove inrounding the strands on all sides.

so that in the last step of the operation, which is the forging orwelding of the strands and head together, there should be part of the.metal of the head completely sur- An important advantag: of such aconstruction resides in the fact t at in the completed article there isno part of the metal of the strands exosed where they connect to thehead, there Eein a layer of the metal of the head above and elow thestrands as well as around the side edges.

The present invention presents a new conductor or bond where the head ofthe terminal is provided with a recess or openin passin through it, saidrecess being close si es and open only at the ends and theconnecting-strands passing entirely through the recess of the head, soas to be completely inclosed therein and integrally united to the headby pressure.

The invention consists in the improved article, as will be hereinafterfully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 re resents in perspective one ofthe tremina s of a rail-bond made in a ccordance with the invention, theformation of this terminal constituting the first step in the method.Fig. 2 is a similar view of the terminal, indicatin the second step inthe manufacture name y, the formation of the slot or recess to receivethe connecting-strands. Fig. 3 is a the same,

esirable that I the on all perspective view showing the terminal slottedas in Fig. 2 and having the connectingstrands inserted in the recessformed by the, slot. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but indicatinga further step in the manufacturenamely, the closing down of the part ofthe head which overhangs the inner side of the strands, so as to inclosethe strands on all sides; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and l,but indicating the completed terminal and a portion of theconnecting-strands after the final step in the manufacture.

Referring to theseviews, 0. denotes the terminal. of a bond, such asabove described. It is made, preferably, in the form illustrated in Fig.1, with an enlarged flattened head I) of oblong or generall triangularsha e and having a cylindrica plug a. It may e cast or forged and ishere shown as a drop-forging having an upstanding lug d on to of thehead at the apex of the triangle, w 'ch the contour of the head forms.Instead of makin the head triangular in outline it may be oblong or ofany other shape that will permit a slot to be cut therein deeper thanthe width of.;tl1e connecting-strands. Connection between this terminaland the corres onding terminal at the other end of the hon (which is notherein shown) is preferably made by a two-ply series ofconnecting-strands e, which are in the form of flat ribbons laidsidewise together and bent and wound in a manner which is now well knownin this class of devices. I

After the formation of the terminal a recess is formed in its head bycutting a slot f in the headparallel to its 'uppersurface and transverseto the plug 0. The'sl'ot is cut in the head from the side toward theapex of the triangle formed by the shape of the head. It preferablyextends past the axial line of the plu and is open at practically threesides of the ead, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, leaving, however, a layerof the metal of the head on top of the slot and a layer under the slotnext to the plug, said upper and lower parts or layers being joinedtogether by the outer edge 9 of the head, which is not cut away. Afterbendin and winding the connectingstrands e in t e usual manner the endof the two-ply connection thus formed is inserted in the recess formedby the slot f in the head .of the terminal, leaving the apex side of thewhere they are bent around, as shown'in Fig. 3. After positioning theconnectingstrands in the recess of the head, as thus described, theoverhanging end of the upper part of the head having the lug (Z isforced down on the inner side of t e bend in the connecting-strands, soas to close the entrance to the slot f and completely encircle thestrands at the bend, as illustrated in Fig. 3. This may be done in anysort of a press or drop or even by hand, and thereafter the terminal,with the strands inclosed in the recess, is preferably heated to asuitable-welding temperature and is next placed in any suitabledie-press, when the final step in the manufacture is performed-namely,welding the strands integrally in the closed recess in the head bypressure.

Fig. 5 illustrates one terminal of a com pleted rail-bond constructed inaccordance.

with the invention. The head I) of the terminal ispreferably cross-linedor milled, as indicated in the figure, the object of this beingtw0fold-namely, first, the milling of the dies which form the headprevents the undue lateral expansion of themetal, and, second, the headof the terminal in the completed bond is given a neat finish and anornamental appearance. The construction of the bond being as abovedescribed, it is to be noted that the recess into which the strands fitis not cast or forged in the head, but is formed therein by cutting awaythe metal of the head. This manner of forming the recess is a distinctadvantage in that it leaves the interior walls of the recess with aclean bright surface, which unites more readily with the surface of theconnecting strands. It is, moreover, to be noted that the cutting of theslot in the head below the surface provides for the complete inclosureof-the connectingstrands by the metal of .one layer of this metal layerbelow the strands, the metal formed by the side wall 9 and the lug d oneither side of the strands. Thus in making the bond the bend atthe endsof the strands is inclosed on three sides by the metal of the head, andafter the closing of the above the strands, a and also portions of openend of the slot f by pressing down the the head, there being lug d onthe fourth side of the strands the latter are completely encircled andsurrounded on all four sides by the metal of the head before the laststep in the manufacture namely, the welding of the strands and headtogether-is effected. The result of this operation is that a morecomplete union and absolute weld of the metal of the head and theconnecting-strands is effected, and no part of the connecting-strandswhere they join the head is exposed. Although, as above described, theterminal is preferably heated before the final weld, it is to beunderstood that this step in the manufacture may be effected without theapplication of heat, if desired; also, that a flux may or may not beemployed, as is preferred.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure,is 1. A terminal for rail-bonds, consisting of a plug having asubstantially flat enlarged head, with a transverse slot formed edgewisetherein from one side so as to divide the head into solid cap and baseportions, with anointervening slot between opening only at the edges ofthe head, and a lug on the up er side of the edge of the cap overhangingt e open side of the'slot.

2. A rail-bond, comprising a loop-shaped connector formed of strands orribbons, and a terminal having a plug and an enlarged substantially flattransverse slot cut edgewise therein from one side so as to divide thehead into solid cap and base portions, and the edge of the capoverhanging the open s de of the slot being provided with a lug on itsupper side, whereby the loop of the connector may be inserted edgewisein the slot of the head and integrally united with the head by'dropforging, so that the lug will inclose the inner side of the loop ofthe'connector.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- FRED H. DANIELS.

H. M. LATHAM.

head, said head having a,

